Alligator evicted from newly constructed home in Florida

March 31 (UPI) -- Reptile wranglers were summoned to a recently constructed Florida home to evict an unusual squatter: an 11-to-12-foot alligator.

Matthew Goodwin, project manager for the house under construction in the Babcock Ranch development in Punta Gorda, said a worker installing window blinds at the home discovered a massive gator lurking inside.

Goodwin said the alligator apparently entered through a laundry room door while seeking shelter from a recent cold front.

"The wind closed the door and he was trapped. He went into every room and made his mark," Goodwin told the Miami Herald.

He said the gator caused about $2,500 worth of damage to the house before being hauled outside by a pair of professional alligator trappers.

Goodwin said the trappers released the gator into a wilderness area.